Uninterruptible Power Supplies (UPS) are used in data centres, for office servers and other applications where uninterrupted electricity supply is crucial. Small units are sometimes also used in private homes to protect electronic equipment from blackouts.

Around 1.4 million units have been sold in the EU in 2011. This figure is expected to increase by 50% as soon as in 2025, because of the expansion of data centres and a decreasing acceptance of downtime.

The energy efficiency of UPS depends on their load, i.e. when they are low loaded, energy losses are relatively high. The efficiency of UPSs available on the market vary widely, and Coolproducts believes that the uptake of more energy efficient UPS should be promoted by the European legislation.

What is the European Union doing?

The Commission has hired a team of experts to carry out a technical analysis of the product group. This analysis has been completed in June 2014 and concluded that 10.96 TWh/year savings can be reached in 2025 representing a reduction of 54.4% in total energy consumption. This is the equivalent of the total residential consumption of Hungary, or the prevention of 4.62 million tonnes of CO2 emissions a year. That’s 2.2 million cars taken of Europe’s roads every year!

The European Commission services are currently drafting a legislative proposal, which should be discussed with Member States and stakeholders by the end of 2015.

What does the Coolproducts campaign want?

We welcome the recommendations from the preparatory study, which look at a mix of policy measures including Minimum Energy Performance requirements and an Energy Label that could enter into force in 2017 and 2019. For Coolproducts, an energy label is a must. Consumers should be able to differentiate products by their performance and innovative industry should be rewarded for investing in more efficient design.

We also see the benefit of having end user information requirements such as information on the benefits of longer life batteries, optimal operating conditions and battery checking and monitoring.